"She's awake."

Rae's eyes flicked towards a woman's voice only to see the back of a head scurrying from the room. The walls were dark grey concrete, no windows. Fear channeled into her body, funneling fast shallow breaths through her lips. Her hand fumbled under the crisp white sheet to find the pain that was throbbing at her side.

She was wearing a mens pale blue dress shirt which she hitched up to see her injury. She tore off the fresh bandage to see her own mangled blue stitches gone, replaced with a neat row of little black lines. The puckered flesh around the stitches was ugly and red but it looked clean and as well maintained as she could have expected.

There was a glass of water sat atop a crate next to Rae's bed. She reached for it, wincing at the stretch of her sore skin. She consumed the entire length without a breath before wiping the back of her hand along her dry lips.

A million questions began to pound across her brain before all thoughts quickly turned to Jacob. Shit. Rae only had one thought and it was to get out of this place as quickly as possible.

Her legs were tingling with pins and needles. She urged them awake, slapping her hand along her calves and thighs before easing them out of bed onto the rough concrete floor that was never poured for barefeet.

She wondered if an industrial room like this one belonged at The Refuge where Jacob lived with his people. She'd driven past the place many times before the world ended. Past the rolling fields and thick clusters of trees that surrounded the facility she'd only ever caught glimpses of the building that catered for recovering addicts of all variety just as long as they could pay the large bills that accompanied the treatment plans.

One last glance at the windowless walls told her she could be in a basement. The idea of being underground made her stomach turn over and gave her the burst of adrenaline she needed to force her aching body to its feet.

Rae stumbled out the door only to be caught in a man's hands.

"You shouldn't be moving," he insisted. He wasn't a big man, nor did he seem particularly strong but it didn't take much force for him to push her back onto the bed.

"I'm Carson," he adjusted his glasses and ran a hand through his dark hair, "I've been looking after you. I have to say it was touch and go for a while." His smile was smug and he was still looking pretty pleased with himself as he reached for her injury.

Rae flinched away from his advances.

"Woah…" he hesitated, "I just want to check you haven't messed up your stitches."

Rae held her side, "I haven't," the words came out through laboured breaths, her eyes drooping heavily as the rush of adrenaline seemed to fade away.

"It's the meds, they make you... woozy."

Rae forced her eyes wider, trying to fight the sluggish feeling. "Give me my things. I'm leaving," she commanded in her best attempt to sound authoritative.

Carson shifted uneasily from foot to foot, "I-"

"That's no fucking way to say thank you is it?" a voice boomed as a man overtook the doorway before strutting into the room.

Rae recognised the man from the road immediately. He had the kind of self assured smirk that a person didn't easily forget.

"Leave" he commanded, looking directly at her but talking to Carson, who was quick as lighting to scurry away like a terrified rabbit who'd sniffed out a predator.

Rae tugged at the blanket pulling it over her legs to avoid the way his dark eyes caressed her skin so intense that she could almost feel the way he looked at her. There was no point playing games, she was pretty certain she'd lose, "what do you want from me?"

He narrowed his eyes, the smirk on his face seemed even more satisfied. He grabbed the wooden chair from the corner of the room, pulled it into middle of the floor and took a seat. The wood creaked under his build, his tall frame overtaking it like goldilocks on baby bear's chair except he was nothing like goldilocks. He was all wolf, a predator, dangerous. He leaned back, his long legs akimbo, his hands settling on his thighs while she just waited, barely breathing, hardly knowing where to look. He was the kind of man who took control of things without a single word or nod of agreement. "Well doll first your gonna tell me your name. Then, you're gonna tell me who the ever loving fuck Jacob is."

Relief. Fright. Both feelings just as intense as each other struggled for supremacy. He wasn't working for Jacob, he probably wasn't going to hand her over on a silver platter. She couldn't feel too happy because if this man wasn't a Raider then who was he? "If you don't know Jacob then I hope for your sake you never do."

"Well thank you for your fucking concern sweetheart but that just really makes me wanna meet this fucker," he laughed, his brown eyes dancing without a trace of fear.

"Whatever," she wasn't interested in some pissing contest between Jacob and this man. She definitely didn't want to be around if it came to that. "I can tell you where to find him if that's what you want. I only want my bag and then I'll leave."

He shifted forward, his eyes locking with hers, "not a fucking chance baby doll. No."

Rae's fear sparked into fire. Nothing could ever be worse than not making it back home. "No! What do you mean no? You can't hold me here like this!" Although she was pretty sure he could.

"You're injured. Weak. You wouldn't last five fucking minutes out there. A mother fucking gust of wind would blow your ass over before you got five minutes down the fucking road."

"I was doing fine until you and your men showed up and kidnapped me!" Rae threw the covers off herself. To hell with his roving eyes and his bad language. Her feet jabbed into the floor and standing up was definitely more unsteady than she wanted especially with the way his smirk taunted her.

He grabbed her hand pulling her towards him and she resisted as best she could.

"I need to get home," she wished the words came out more forceful that they did but her voice broke and instead she just sounded desperate.

"This have any-fucking-thing to do with all the pills I found in your bag?"

"What did you do with them?" she demanded.

His brow furrowed, "are you some kind of fucked ass junkie?"

"No! They're not for me but if you think you can just take them then I'll… I'll..."

"What will you do? I'd just love to fucking see…" his gaze travelled her length completely unashamed, "believe me doll. I would fucking love to see what you would do..."

"I-" she deflated. She'd never met such an arrogant bastard in her entire life. Crying seemed like her only viable option at this point.

"Don't worry sweetheart I haven't taken your shit." Negan laughed at her, the well worn lines at the corner of his eyes crinkling like he laughed at people every day of the week. "Fucking hell doll, you need to start calming the fuck down before you fall on your sweet ass."

Rae was swaying. He was right of course. It was taking all her strength to keep upright and every passing second was making it more difficult. In fact the only thing keeping her from sinking into the cement floor was his hand, gripped tight to hers, tethering her like a safety line.

"Rest a couple of days, get some fucking beauty sleep and I'll take you home myself. Right up to the front fucking door like your goddamn prom date oughta have done. An this isn't a negotiation doll," he stood, clamping his hands tight to her hips to hold her upright. "Better?" the grin on his face was all bright white teeth.

Suddenly her body was incredibly aware of him. It was like all her senses had snapped awake to feel the power of his hands melting hot through the thin cotton shirt that played barrier between his skin and hers. The smell of his leather jacket which seemed absurdly out of place for wearing indoors. His height as he towered over her like few men did. For a moment she couldn't speak, she couldn't even look him in the eye. All she could do was focus on the square line of his jaw and the salt and pepper scruff that lived there. Why was she even letting this stranger hold her like this?

"Now, enough fighting." One of his hands swept across her cheek to brush away the hair that had fallen across her face, tucking it behind her ear. She had to stop her head from tilting to follow his surprisingly gentle touch. "Tell me your name."

"Rae."

"Rae."

"You didn't tell me your name," her voice was barely a whisper.

"You wanting to get to know me better?"

"I… uh… I'd like to know your name. At the very least."

"At the very-fucking-least?" he smirked. "Well since you're asking me so fucking nicely doll I'll let you in on a national fucking secret." He leaned closer, his words a husky whisper in her ear "I'm Negan."

Negan. She laughed, a combination of schoolgirl nerves and "what kind of a name is that?" The words had tumbled carelessly from her lips before her brain even had chance to consider the situation.

Negan didn't take offence. He laughed loud and hard, the force of it vibrating across his whole body. "You don't have to fucking like it doll." He tipped her chin to look at him, "when the time comes, you just have to remember it."

Rae's cheeks filled with pink and she definitely didn't want him to see her blush. She turned on her heel and quickly climbed into bed, pulling the covers all the way to her chin, keeping her eyes locked in a staring competition with the wall. What the hell was going on with her? She'd suffered a cut to the side not a blow to her head yet here she was acting worse than one of her students, letting his crude way of talking go unchecked and somehow feeling glad that he'd found her yesterday. "I'll rest today. Tomorrow you won't stop me leaving."

"I'm certainly not fucking interested in having you as my prisoner."

"What are you interested in?" she chanced a glance his way and regretted it. He was looking at her like he could see right through the blanket and anything else she wore.

"Nothing doll," he winked. "Nothing but saving your life and making the fuck sure you stay that way."

Grandma would have scolded her for being so ungrateful for his help. She would have scolded Negan twice as bad for being such a brazen foul mouthed letch. But Rae couldn't deny that aside from his arrogance and love of the word fuck, he'd done nothing to hurt her. Not everyone was like Jacob. She certainly wasn't. Perhaps Negan wasn't either. "I guess I'm not used to help coming without a heavy price tag."

/

Fuck. Negan could hardly tear his eyes away from this woman and the way she was looking at him. There was a hint of trust shining in her bottle green eyes that had him wanting shot after shot until he was drunk as sin on them. When was the last time someone had looked at him like that?

Negan's stomach clenched tight. Rae wouldn't be apologising if she knew the real fucking reasons he had brought her to the Sanctuary. Long legs and creamy skin were reason number one. Reason two was her group. He hadn't known for sure if she would have one but at this stage in the game most people did. It wasn't really a question of what he would do to her people it was just what they always did. When they found a group they took over the management of it and by that he meant to take half of their shit and then keep on collecting. They were the Saviors and they made sure to save every fucking thing for themselves.

"Get some rest," he mumbled, standing from the tiny chair. "That's the doctors fucking orders doll and I don't want to have to come back in here and tie you to the bed." He cleared his throat. Fuck. He just couldn't fucking help himself. The moment he'd seen Donnie pulling her into the road, all long limbs and hair that shone like burnished copper he'd wanted to get to know her a whole lot better.

"Thanks for helping me. I do..." she cleared her throat, "appreciate it."

Fuck. She sounded genuine. She looked genuine, it was all right there on her face. There was no games, no lies, just a real thanks. When was the last time someone had thanked him without it being through gritted teeth or under duress at the end of his bat?

Suddenly Negan couldn't even stay in the room to ask her any of the questions he'd wanted to. A strange feeling started to pulse through his veins. He hadn't felt like this for a very fucking long time, not since Lucille. Fuck, he barely even recognised it. Guilt.

Of all the things he might have cause to feel guilty for, helping this woman wasn't one of them. He'd fucking saved her life, used a shit load of meds. She owed him. If her people wanted her back safely then they owed him too. It wasn't his problem if Rae didn't understand the game now.

He stomped down the hallway towards where Carson was standing. "Nobody speaks to Rae except me. No fuckers in the room except me and you."

Carson tilted his head, "Rae?"

Rae, sweet and sincere, "the piece of ass down the fucking hall."

"Yes sir."

Good. Carson didn't question it. If he did then Negan didn't know what he would say. Would he admit that he didn't want her to know the truth? His help did come with a fucking price. A price he was always happy to collect on. All help came with a fucking price, one hand always fed the other. That had been the way of the world since the first fucking men had crawled out of the fucking primordial soup and thumped clubs over ass, land and anything else worth killing for.

He stormed into his room bypassing his wives. He didn't want to deal with their bullshit nagging right now.

"It's not guilt," he told himself, picking up Lucille, stoking his hand along the end. He just wanted to keep Rae sweet, that was all. He wanted to keep her sweet just long enough to sink his dick into her. He'd take what he wanted then he wouldn't give a fuck what she thought or how those green eyes looked at him.

His bedroom door opened and Kirsten snook in swaying her hips, her tit's jiggling in the fusia pink bra that couldn't quite contain them. She placed her hands straight on his belt, no fucking around. He lay Lucille on the bed, standing still with his hands at his sides while he watched his blonde haired wife fall to her knees taking his jeans with her.

This was definitely a distraction.

His cock filled, interested, unstoppable. She pressed her palm against him, rubbing one firm stroke through his boxers before her fingers curled into the waistband, her tongue slicked wet across her lips.

"I was thinking…" she purred, flashing her sky blue eyes and fluttering her lashes. He wondered how many times she had done that exact same move? Exactly how many times this shit had worked with him? This had been what he'd liked about Kristen at first. She'd been a spoiled, lazy bitch before the end of the world and she was even more spoiled and lazy now. All she knew about was falling to her knees, whoring out her mouth and collecting whatever payment she wanted.

His dick fell limp. "What the fuck you want now Kirsten?" he roared, pulling up his jeans and tightening his belt.

She had the audacity to look pissed off as she stood up, flicking her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder and pouting. "Send someone to get some more of my face cream. Its nearly out." She put her hand on her hip, a fake smile curving at her lips, her voice baby soft, "you want me to look good don't you?"

"There's creams in the fucking stores or can't you walk your lazy ass down a couple flights of stairs?"

"That shit breaks me out Negan," she spat, soft fake smiles all used up.

"Get the fuck out of here Kirsten. Right. Fucking. Now."

She knew she'd gone too far, her bitch face fell flat and she scampered away without one more word. Kirsten would quite happily have his men risk their lives for a tub of face cream or some other useless shit. She didn't have a fucking clue about anything past the end of her plastic nose.

Negan slumped down on the satin sheets of his bed. He could hear the chatter of his wives through the other side of the door where they stood in nothing but silk and lace amongst all the finer things in life. Crushed velvet baroque chairs, a gold gilded chandelier, plush drapes, fresh food, every comfort, a world outside of the real world. He had everything up in his rooms yet his mind was down three flights of stairs, along the dark corridor filled with mouse droppings in that tiny grey room with Rae.

What had Rae risked her life for? A bag of pills that weren't even for her taking. He stared at the rucksack in the corner of his room. He'd gone through it twice. The first time to see what it contained and the second time… just because. There was nothing personal inside just boxes of pills and a small flashlight. Besides the bag sat the pistol she'd tried to threaten Donny with. It didn't even hold a single round. The idea infuriated him at the same time as it made him laugh.

He'd said he wouldn't keep her prisoner but maybe that wasn't entirely honest. Tomorrow he'd take her back to wherever the fuck she had sprouted from then gather up her people, gather up their shit and bring them home with him. It wasn't what he usually did but it was what was going to happen and there wasn't going to be any fucking debating.

A/N- Thank you to everyone who has followed and favourited and especially for everyone who left a review on the first chapter. It's good to know people are liking this so far ;)